LOCAL

LOCAL Boardmanbeats Edison BOARDMAN -- Jennifer Feret's 10th-inning double scored Jaclyn Corroto and Gina Rango to give the Boardman High softball team a 2-1 victory over Richmond Edison Monday at the Fields of Dreams. Jennifer Pancake and Ashley DiDomenico combined to allow only three hits. DiDomenico picked up her fifth win against no losses as she struck out 11 and walked none in the six innings she pitch Corroto and Rango each had two of the Spartans' (25-4) five hits. Edison's pitcher Stephanie Peddicord gave up five hits, striking out 12 and walking two. Edison is 24-6. Blewitt winsnational shot put SAN ANGELO, Texas -- Ashland University's Adriane Blewitt (Boardman) won a national championship in the shot put last Saturday, winning the NCAA Division II title with a throw of 55 feet, 10 1/2 inches. Blewitt, a junior, has three national championships, also winning the indoor shot put last winter and the discus. She is an eight-time All-American. Geneva athletescompete in NAIA OLATHE, Kan. -- Geneva College was represented by five athletes at the NAIA national track and field meet. Junior Anne McCready (Walton, N.Y.) finished 16th in women's heptathlon, while Rebekah Carter (Verona, Pa.) was 16th in the 3000-meters (11 minutes, 20.40 seconds) and Angie Ferren (Coraopolis, Pa.) ran 19:45.80 in the 5000 preliminaries and did not qualify for the finals. In the men's competition, junior Rob Lowe (Littleton, Colo.) was 20th in the triple jump (41 feet, 8 3/4 inches). Freshman Bryan Dorcian (King of Prussia, Pa.) ran 55.53 in the 400 hurdles preliminaries and did not advance. NATION Georgia's BoekerNCAA champ COLLEGE STATION, Texas -- Georgia's Matias Boeker successfully defended his NCAA men's tennis singles title, defeating Kentucky's Jesse Witten 7-5, 6-0. John Cook earnsexemption to Open NEW YORK -- John Cook didn't win the Memorial, but he got a small consolation prize -- an exemption to the U.S. Open at Bethpage and the British Open at Muirfield, where he nearly won the claret jug 10 years ago. The world ranking was the deadline for the top 50 players to receive a free pass to both Opens. While Cook came up two shots short of victory at Muirfield Village, rounds of 65-69 on the weekend earned him a tie for fourth at the Memorial and enabled him to climb 21 spots in the ranking, to No. 42. Nick Faldo, meanwhile, will have to rely on a special invitation from the U.S. Golf Association or go through a 36-hole qualifier next week in order to play in his 60th consecutive major, the longest active streak in golf. Sparks beat Comets HOUSTON -- Lisa Leslie scored 22 points as the Los Angeles Sparks spoiled Sheryl Swoopes' return with a 68-55 victory over the Houston Comets on Monday. DeLisha Milton added 15 points and rookie Nikki Teasley had 12 for the Sparks, who eliminated the Comets from the playoffs last season. Swoopes, showing no effects from knee surgery that forced her to miss last season, scored 15 points in her first game since the WNBA championship game Aug. 26, 2000. She was the league's MVP and defensive player of the year that season. Leslie scored 18 points in the first half to help the defending WNBA champions recover from a 21-14 deficit in the first nine minutes. Vindicator staff/wire reports